Roast chicken with whole garlic, bay & white wine

4 servings 600 kcal or less baguette baguettes bay leaf bay leaves chicken chicken recipe family recipe garlic and lemon chicken mains over an hour roast chicken recipe roast recipe spring summer summer roast sunday lunch recipe

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Ingredients

1 chicken about 1.5kg/3lb 5oz

8 bay leaves

50g soft butter

1 lemon , halved

4 whole heads wet garlic

½ baguette cut into 8 thin slices on the angle

1 tbsp olive oil

150ml white wine

Method

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Season the chicken inside and out. Loosen skin over the breast and place a bay leaf and a little butter between the skin on each breast. Add the rest of the bay leaves and the lemon to the cavity, then smear the rest of the butter all over the bird. Place in a roasting tin and cook for 45 mins. Add the garlic to the pan, baste the chicken with the buttery juices and bake in the oven for 45 mins more.

Meanwhile, lay baguette slices on a tray and drizzle with a little oil. Bake for 20 mins until golden, then remove from the oven. When the chicken is cooked, remove from the oven and leave to rest with the soft garlic.

For the gravy, pour the fat out of the tin, place the tin on the heat and splash in the wine and any juices from the chicken. Bubble and scrape up any of the sticky bits, then drain into a jug. Serve the chicken with the croutons, the jug of gravy and the garlic for squeezing over.